


Cats

by leporidae



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Cats, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-23
Updated: 2015-12-23
Packaged: 2018-05-08 15:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5503721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leporidae/pseuds/leporidae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hyuuga is convinced stray animals should be left on the street where you find them. Kiyoshi has other plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cats

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kotaka_kun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotaka_kun/gifts).



> Part five of five. And I'm done with a day to spare, incredible.
> 
> I'm surprised I made it through five drabbles in such a short time period. It feels good to be done so I can go back to working on other stuff, but at the same time it was a fun challenge to study different characters than what I'm used to.
> 
> And of course, to my Secret Santa: I hope you like them!

Hyuuga’s first thought is that something under Kiyoshi’s shirt is squirming.

His second thought, which he voices, is simply, “What the fuck.”

Kiyoshi blinks innocently back at him, and Hyuuga wonders if he’s just pretending to be clueless or if he actually is. It’s always impossible to tell with the other. “I can’t say I know what you mean, Hyuuga.”

Punching him seems like a good option right about now, but somehow Hyuuga manages to summon what little self-control he possesses and refrains from violence. “I’m talking about whatever that goddamn wriggling alien parasite is under your shirt.”

The taller boy glances down, blinking with what Hyuuga is now _certain_ is feigned surprise. “Oh…? Oh. I hadn’t even noticed.”

 _Breathe in. Breathe out._ “Kiyoshi.”

Seirin’s center grins sheepishly before moving his hands out from under his shirt. What he produces is none other than a cat.

Hyuuga Junpei is not fond of cats, for many reasons. They jump on his face and knock off his glasses with their overzealous paws, they rub themselves all over his legs and leave fur wherever they go, they claw up living spaces with those dastardly little _knives_ attached to their feet. 

Conversely, and unfortunately for Hyuuga, Kiyoshi Teppei is very fond of cats. Just seeing one is enough to make that signature dumb expression that's always plastered to his face even dumber. Hyuuga not-so-fondly remembers the time everyone had gathered for street ball and Kiyoshi had been deterred by none other than - _cats_. Even though the two of them are dating now – a concept Hyuuga would have scoffed at a year ago, believing his strong feeling toward his teammate was hate (he couldn’t have been more wrong) – Hyuuga still finds himself baffled on a daily basis by the way in which Kiyoshi is so frighteningly calculating and manipulative about some things, and yet so damn _dense_ about others.

Cats are one such thing that Kiyoshi is dense about. Cats do not bring out the best in Kiyoshi. It is for this reason that Hyuuga is determined to stop this madness before it can go any further.

“I’m not letting you keep that thing.”

Kiyoshi’s eyes have taken on that fire of determination he always has when he’s willing to fight for something, and Hyuuga hates fighting with him. Mostly because Kiyoshi handles conflict so calmly, and he himself can’t argue for more than a minute without escalating into screaming and a stream of expletives. He knows that this is just because they express their emotions differently, but Hyuuga can’t help but think he always looks bad in comparison. 

“I mean it,” Hyuuga reiterates as Kiyoshi opens his mouth.

Kiyoshi sighs and rubs the back of his neck with one hand, holding the mewling demon to his chest with the other. “You haven’t even met him yet, Hyuuga. At least give him a chance.”

The captain scoffs. “ _Him?_ You already know it’s a _him?_ ”

A nod. “I’ve already named him, as well. His name is _Jimmu._ ”

“The first Emperor of Japan,” Hyuuga recites before he can stop himself, and he scowls. “Trying to butter me up by naming your filthy animal after something from Japanese history, so I’ll accept him? Is that what you’re doing – _Teppei?_ ”

He _knows_ Kiyoshi knows that using his first name indicates he means business, but the other looks unaffected nonetheless. Rather than shy away from the question, he simply nods. “Yes, that’s exactly it. Is it working?”

 _He admits it. He admits it with no damn shame whatsoever._ Hyuuga sighs loudly – purposely loudly – and runs one hand down his face. “That’s fucking ridiculous. Look how loud and evil that thing is.” As if to punctuate his point, the cat mewls in Kiyoshi’s grasp, looking up at Hyuuga with simpering eyes. “See? It heard me. It admits it. Now get rid of it.”

“In 607 BC,” Kiyoshi continues, ignoring Hyuuga’s words entirely, “Emperor Jimmu launched an eastward expedition. It went along Japan’s Inland Sea and ended in Yamato, which he seized as his center of power. Do you know where the expedition was launched _from?_ ”

“Of course I do!” Hyuuga snaps, more than a little offended. Japanese History is his best subject in school by far. He collects warlord figurines, for god’s sake – he could practically reenact any one of these historical events with them. In his sleep. (Which might not be something to brag about.) Either way, the point is that he is certainly no historical lightweight.

Kiyoshi casts his gaze toward the sky for a moment. A long moment. _Way_ too long of a moment. _What is he waiting for? Does he think a decent comeback is going to descend from the heavens and smack him in the face?_ Finally, after readjusting the squirming bundle in his arms, he turns back to Hyuuga. “Mm, you do, do you?”

Hyuuga almost stomps his foot, but manages to restrain himself before he gets called out for throwing a tantrum. “I said I do, so I do!”

There’s the faintest of smiles on Kiyoshi’s lips now. “Where was it? What was the province?”

Hyuuga remembers, of course, and it pisses him the hell off. Kiyoshi is trying to be cute, but Hyuuga’s not having any of that. He wants this cat gone and he’s not going to fall into the other’s trap. “Miyazaki Prefecture.”

“That’s what it’s called now, yes,” Kiyoshi responds, nodding meaningfully. “But it wasn’t always called that, was it?”

“It was renamed after the Meiji Restoration,” Hyuuga says without missing a beat. “A political revolution in 1868, which brought down –”  


“So before the Meiji Restoration, what was the name of the Miyazaki Prefecture?”

“I’m not gonna say it.”

Kiyoshi steps forward and takes one of the cat's paws in his hand as he does so. To Hyuuga’s horror, the paw is lifted to his face and pressed lightly against his nose. Hyuuga yelps and jumps backwards; Kiyoshi gives him a mildly deploring look. “Say it.”

“I’m not gonna say it!”

“Jimmu wants you to say it.”

“It’s a cat! You don’t know what the hell it wants!”

“What province?”

Hyuuga knows that his boyfriend has infinitely more patience than he does, and if he doesn’t cut this off, they’ll be going back and forth eternally. So he takes a breath, red coloring his cheeks as he prepares himself to play along with Kiyoshi, if only for a moment, just to get it over with.

“…Hyuuga Province.”

Kiyoshi laughs heartily, cradling the cat to his chest. “See? You and Jimmu are meant to be.”

“I knew you were gonna say some kind of shit like that!”

“So?” And in an instant, Kiyoshi has grown serious again. “Will you consider giving him a chance?”

Hyuuga stares. And stares. And stares some more, until he decides, _fuck it, I don’t want to deal with this nonsense anymore,_ and turns around to leave, calling after him, “That thing better be well trained, or so help me.”

It’s not a no, though.

When it comes to Kiyoshi, nothing ever really is.

**Author's Note:**

> The rating is, obviously, just for Hyuuga's swearing.


End file.
